Derek Jeter went 1-for-3 in his first game of the season. / Troy Taormina, USA TODAY Sports

by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

HOUSTON -- New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman were inundated Tuesday with questions about their shortstop until they couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey guys, it's opening day," Cashman said in exasperation.

"Enough of Eduardo."

On a day that belonged to Derek Jeter, playing the last opening day of his illustrious career, the center of attention was Eduardo Nunez.

Nunez, the shortstop once considered Jeter's heir apparent, was designated for assignment.

Yes, of all days, we are reminded that no one is replacing Derek Jeter as shortstop of the Yankees.

The Yankees have a year to figure it out and, in the meantime, will be reminded all season what they'll be missing.

Jeter was saluted and serenaded all afternoon and evening by the Houston Astros crowd. They were chanting his name before he even stepped on the Minute Maid Park field at 4:05 p.m. CT.

And when the starting lineups were introduced during the pregame ceremonies, all you heard was, "Now batting second ... in his farewell tour ... ."

Jeter ran out to the third-base line and the ovation was deafening, with only Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan drawing a more raucous response.

There were Jeter jerseys in the stands. A few "Captain Clutch" T-shirts. And the mandatory woman holding a sign that read "Mrs. Jeter" pleading for him to take a look.

Jeter, the last link to the Yankees dynasty that won four World Series in five years, tried to downplay the day. Really, he said, it felt like any other opener, with his family staying home and catching it on TV.

"The only difference is that I feel better than I have in a lot of openers," Jeter said. "I feel great. I'm ready to go."

Yet no matter how he fares this season, he says, he knows it will be his last. There's no turning back.

"You can't do this forever," said Jeter, who'll turn 40 in June.

Perhaps, the Yankees say, this is why they've noticed a different Jeter this spring. He's been almost eerily calm.

"I have never seen him so relaxed and joyful," Cashman said.

Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, who said he wasn't about to miss Jeter's first and last games of the season, spent a few moments alone with Jeter during the afternoon.

His advice: Savor it.

"I want him to appreciate every single day of this season," Jackson told USA TODAY Sports. "He has always put the game ahead of himself, and that's what has made him so great.

"Now that he's at peace with everything, he needs to take some time for him, too."

The Astros will be the first to honor him this season with a ceremony today featuring former teammates Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens and Charlie Hayes.

Jeter hates all the commotion. He simply wants to focus on winning a sixth World Series title.

"I don't think you can really rally around it," Cashman said. "It would kind of contradict everything we've done in the past.

"Jeter would be offended if we said, 'We've got to rally around Jetes.' We rally around the effort of trying to win a championship on a yearly basis, and he represents that more than anybody.

"But it sure would be a great way to send him out."

Jeter ran well and fielded his position flawlessly Tuesday, on the heels of a spring training in which he batted .137 with one extra-base hits in 51 at-bats.

They'll need him to be somewhere between that and the 2012 Jeter who led the American League in hits. At least his influence is consistent.

GALLERY: JETER'S FAREWELL TOUR

He was the guy settling down starter CC Sabathia on the mound in the second inning Tuesday. After the visit, which came with the Yankees in a 6-0 hole, Sabathia pitched four scoreless innings.

And, yes, he was the one who got hit in the left wrist by Astros starter Scott Feldman in the first inning but, after angrily shaking his wrist, jogged to first as if it was a mosquito bite.

There's no need to remind the Yankees of Jeter's value. He played 17 games last season, and not only did they miss the playoffs for only the second time in Jeter's career, but their ticket and luxury-box revenue plummeted nearly 21% from the 2012 season, according to Newsday.

The Yankees answered by spending nearly $500 million on free agents this winter, but most important their marquee attraction is back for a final curtain call.

"You just want to get back to the playoffs," Jeter says. "That's what you play for. That's all I've ever played for. It's not about any of the other stuff.